PAINT WITH WORDS

For a post-elementary graduate boy or girl who lives in the cold and mountainous vicinity of Baguio City there are only a couple of competitive high schools to choose from. One of which is the Baguio City National Science High School, a government school—I heard they give a monthly allowance of Php1, 500.00 to Php3, 000.00, depending on the student’s grades. Another is, not much of a competitor but worth mentioning, Saint Louis Boys’ High School and Saint Louis Girls’ High School—I don’t really know the official names of these two schools because from where I grew up, we simply call them boys’ high and girls’ high. One option for high school is the University of Baguio High School—present in all competitions: newspaper press cons, sports meets, name it and they’re in it. Now, the next option, it might even top the list of high schools option, is the abode of the smart, the talented, the gifted, in short—the abode of the elites in Baguio’s school society, the University of Baguio Science High School.

For an ambitious equally hard-working post-elementary graduate girl, then, like me, I only took one high school entrance examination and that is in the UB Science High School. It was like UB Sci or nothin’. Passing the FAT, Freshmen Admission Test of the UB Sci, is an achievement. I mean, back then, out of a hundred examinee, say, only 35 would pass. And out of those 35, only 5 becomes a university scholar and the rest would be distributed to A, B, or C. It was one of the exams that I really wanted to pass. I could recall attending the review sessions for the FAT when it was January or like, February of my graduation year. I swear, I would do anything to pass that exam. Several months before the FAT, I never pictured myself out wearing that wrap-around skirt, the gray fabric overlapping the red fabric with a white, sports-collared blouse embellished with a red tie. So yes, I didn’t want to take the FAT but seeing that all my friends are taking the exam, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try out. That was several months before the FAT. But several months after the FAT, this is how I pictured myself: I will see my name on the list of FAT passers and I will jump as high as my lower extremities would allow me and right after seeing my name on the list, I will go to the nearest tailor and have a UB Sci uniform sewed for me. Opposing images from one source, weird right?

Nonetheless, I passed the exam. I enrolled. The UB Sci building is a replica of what it houses—the faculty and students. What I expected to encounter was way different from what I actually experienced. Behind the then wood-colored two big doors of the building is a family bound together by the chords of love that can not be broken. Sure, in a family you will experience trials—trials that would either make or break your loyalty to your family. These trials might be in the form of emotional or spiritual circumcisions wherein only you and the Big Boss above can heal.

What I experienced inside the building and inside the family was something I wouldn’t trade for any Disney ride. I learned the nine attitudes inside; I started flame using an alcohol, a lighter and some dried leaves; I punished an ading because he’s not living by the buddy-buddy system; I slept right under the sky on a cold January night; I got rejected over and over because I was not good enough; I was verbally tortured to test my faith; I met the most amazing friends I could ever possibly have; I found the only guy who swept me off my feet and still sweeps me off my feet after a couple of years.

I am who I am now because the UB Science High inculcated in me values I couldn’t imagine to learn outside this institution. I am not just a better person, but a functional individual because of this university. People claim that it is you and only you who make your destiny—wrong, I make my destiny and the people around me helped me envision that destiny I am to fulfill.

I am now in college and the values I learned in the Science High are still intact. The University of Baguio Science High School: not just a school—it is the school. It is like one jungle, an organized jungle, in order to survive you have to be competitive. Studying here is a five-star ticket to your next destination: college station.

By the way, UB Science High is the first science high school in Asia. And it has the best-equipped in-house chemistry laboratory, probably, in the enitre Cordillera.

For interested graduating elementary students, visit: http://sciencehigh.ubaguio.edu/index.html